OK. I don't get excited by much in our 2.0 world, but cacoo is something else. Drawing is not your strong point, need colour, and just the right layout design? How about collaborating in real-time with your students and or fellow professionals? You can save, print, upload to a PowerPoint, to a website, whatever. And … Continue reading Cacoo is not Caca →

Wow!I just don't know what to say...I'm so proud of her. There she was, not a eighteen months ago: the old school, highly inflexible secondary mathematics teacher ("I'm not gonna try that"; "It takes too much time"; "It's all flash and dash").But here she is using the SmartBoard, downloading vidoes, creating an interactive classroom, learning … Continue reading Getting your techno-groove on! →

Below is a letter published in The Province April 21, 2010 by my colleague and a champion of school libraries and teacher-librarians in British Columbia for over thirty-year, Val Hamilton. I'm sure she won't object to me reprinting this...it's killer stuff!The sound you hear is the closing doors of school libraries around B.C. School libraries … Continue reading The Most Literate Place on Earth…Not Anymore →

I was too exhausted last night to post these thoughts and I hope I didn't sleep out my enthusiasm and the essence of this message. But, here we go...I feel very privileged to be asked to become involved with the British Columbia Teacher-Librarians Association (BCTLA). I’m looking forward to working with this group of passionately … Continue reading My BCTLA Experience… →

I just started reading Marilyn Johnson's 'This Book is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All'. I should preface this by saying that I rarely rave about a book to ANYONE--I know, I know, this is sort of silly seeing as though I love books and want people to read them--but I had … Continue reading A Book Long Overdue! →

I have had the honour of being a part of the Ab-Ed program at L.V. Rogers Secondary I feel as though I am privy to the things that most Canadians know nothing about and could, unfortunately, care let about.One example is the plight of the Sinix't Nation. Most people living in the area have never … Continue reading Bringing Home the Bones →

Wow...After speaking with her twice over the phone (the amazing press that surrounded her aside--I had read 'The Slow Fix' and had visited her page on MySpace--I was already a fan) I was immediately captivated by Ivan. I had a strong feeling that she would 'wow' us all. And she did not disappoint. Ivan Coyote's … Continue reading Ivan Coyote: Storyteller Extraordinaire →

Facing huge cuts to teacher-librarians in California, the TLs have rallied and as part of their advocacy have put together a six minute clip on what it is that TLs do to enhance the academic environment in schools. Our skill set is wide and the variety unparalleled--there isn't anyone in education that comes close. For … Continue reading What do Teacher-Librarians Actually Do All Day? →

It's that time of year again! The annual BC Book Prize nominations have been announced. For a list of the 2010 finalists in all categories check out the BC Book Prizes site. Of particular interest is the Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize which includes Robin Stevenson's 'Inferno', Carrie Mac's 'The Gryphon Project', and 'Return … Continue reading BC Book Prize Nominations →

November Group member, teacher, university instructor, and self-admitted technophile, Julia Leong, did a first-rate presentation at the Prestige Hotel on our February 19th Pro-D day. Here's her slide presentation if you are interested:Kootenays Keynotehttp://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=kootenayskeynote-100218131633-phpapp01&stripped_title=kootenays-keynote